NMSU regents move forward with search for new chancellor

Garrey Carruthers, New Mexico State University's Chancellor and President, walks down the stairs to the Regents room, where regents voted four to zero to begin the search for a new chancellor. Wednesday Aug. 30, 2017.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)Buy Photo

LAS CRUCES - Despite wide-ranging support for New Mexico State University Chancellor Garrey Carruthers from both the on- and off-campus communities, the NMSU Board of Regents opted Wednesday to continue its search for a replacement leader.

The NMSU Board of Regents voted 4-0 Wednesday to move forward with a search for a new chancellor to replace Carruthers after his contract ends in mid-2018. Public pressure had built in recent days for the regents to offer him a contract extension after a number of groups and the Las Cruces mayor had stated support for Carruthers and his work.

But it wasn't enough to persuade a majority of regents, who chalked up their decision not to renew Carruthers' contract to waning student enrollment and other lagging performance metrics at the university.

In early August, the university announced Carruthers, who turned 78 on Tuesday, would retire from the chancellor role on July 1, 2018 — the end of his contract period. But later, Carruthers elaborated, saying he was retiring because the regents didn't plan to offer him a contract extension past July 2018, despite his willingness to serve an extra two years.

On Wednesday, several regents, including Chairwoman Debra Hicks, countered allegations that the decision not to extend Carruthers' contract was politically motivated.

"Is it a political decision? No," she said. "The decision is based purely on what the needs are for New Mexico State University students and what's best for our state moving forward."

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Garrey Carruthers,left, chancellor and president of New Mexico State University talks with Debra Hicks, right, chairwoman of the NMSU board of regents, before the special session meeting took place. During which the regents voted four to zero to start the search for a new chancellor. Wednesday Aug. 30, 2017.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

Student enrollment

In particular, said Regent Kari Mitchell, is that enrollment has continued to drop at NMSU. She acknowledged that a stagnant state population is partly to blame, but she said NMSU has experienced deeper declines than other regional institutions. Enrollment declines have led to revenue losses of roughly $10 million per year, she said. While Carruthers has navigated the university through budget cuts, "you can't cut your way to success."

"You have to grow your way to success," she said.

Carruthers has been widely credited for steering NMSU through difficult circumstances, shrinking the university's workforce ahead of state financial cuts. The state Legislature is another major source of revenue, and has handed down cuts to universities statewide.

There's been a bright spot in NMSU enrollment with growth in freshmen student admissions this fall; even so, regents said, when enrollment across the class spectrum is considered, numbers of students are down.

Support stated

This month, at least four state legislators, the mayors of Las Cruces, Carlsbad and Grants (where the university has branch campuses), the Las Cruces Public Schools superintendent, and members of the student government at the university have publicly stated their support for Carruthers remaining at the helm of the university past 2018.

At the beginning of Wednesday's regents meeting on campus, a number of officials associated with the university, including the current and former Faculty Senate chairs, and members of the public, spoke in favor of Carruthers.

Current Faculty Senate Chair Christopher Brown read a letter from 10 faculty members who stated support for retaining Carruthers. Brown said Carruthers' past experience as a state governor, business college dean and businessman make him "uniquely qualified to serve as our president and chancellor."

Brown said Carruthers has provided stability and leadership that "NMSU sorely lacked for several years prior to his tenure."

"Most importantly, Chancellor Carruthers has been a very impressive and vocal voice for reform in the system of higher education in New Mexico, and he has been broadly acknowledged as such by elected political leaders all along the political spectrum," he said.

Regents Mitchell, Jerean Hutchinson, Mike Cheney and Hicks voted in favor of moving forward with the search for a new chancellor. Newly appointed Student Regent Margie Vela abstained. Vela declined to say why she abstained.

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The Regents room at New Mexico State University was full during a special session, during which a vote four to zero was had to start the search for a new Chancellor. Wednesday Aug. 30, 2017.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

Delayed start

Regents met in a work session starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday and went into a closed-door session to discuss Carruthers' contract. The open-door meeting started about 30 minutes late in the early afternoon. Regents and Carruthers filed into the meeting room with somber expressions.

In an impromptu news conference after regents' vote, Hicks said Carruthers contributed at lot to NMSU and has been the "greatest cheerleader" for the university.

"He has made significant changes to our university, and we all have seen those; they've been enumerated in the paper," she said. "He has done a great job in what we've asked him to do, and he's gone beyond what he signed on for, to say. He signed on for stability, and he's created change. We as the board of regents, we want to build on that foundation to move forward."

NMSU student William J. Jones, a student body senator and veteran, also expressed support during the meeting for Carruthers.

"To say that I was disappointed in the regents' decision is an understatement," he said. "I began college in 2012, just a year before the chancellor assumed his duties here at NMSU. I have looked forward to seeing him at the podium when I graduate, and thankfully he will be here in May to congratulate and shake my hand at commencement."

'Very disappointed'

Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said he was "very disappointed" with the news Carruthers would not receive a two-year contract extension. He said he believes the outcome of Wednesday's meeting would have been different if regents were elected, not appointed, positions, given the tide of support for Carruthers.

"I thought he did a fantastic job, considering what he had to work with, with monies dwindling, (and deciding) what parts does he have to eliminate," Miyagishima said. "That's tough. Those are tough decisions. I just think he did a great job; I'm disappointed it didn't turn out differently."

Though the city doesn't have jurisdiction on the NMSU campus, Miyagishima said the two are closely related.

"In Las Cruces, we're very proud of the university," he said. "They have tremendous impact on our quality of life in the city and our economic well-being. We do have a stake in it, and we would hope the regents would put in someone who's in the best interests of all concerned, including the city."

What's next?

Though the regents voted to search for a new chancellor, they didn't lay out specifics yet for the process. Hicks said the board will have to create a job description, set parameters for the search and appoint a search committee. The ideal time line would have a new chancellor on board just prior to Carruthers' departure in mid-2018, she said.

Carruthers, a former New Mexico governor and former dean of the NMSU Business College, was named NMSU’s president and chancellor in 2013. He earns $373,450 per year.

Other actions

The Board of Regents OK'd construction of a new, 300-bed dormitory to replace the former Monagle Hall, which has been demolished.

The regents also approved a lease-option agreement with Corona Wind Energy to lease land to the company for a wind-energy farm, which would tie into the proposed SunZia transmission line.

The regents voted to enter into a letter of intent with a second company that hopes to build a solar energy farm north of Las Cruces on university land. It would tie into El Paso Electric Co.